Band-cutter and feeder



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N. J. LINDSTROM.

BAND CUTTER AND FEEDER I Patented Nov. 5, 1895.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets'-Sheet 2.

N. J. LINDSTROM.

BAND CUTTER AND EEEEEE.

No. 549,142. Patented Nov. 5, 1895.

F7 7 WITNESSES? I-NVEWTOR:

ANDREW BYGRANAM. PHOTO-HMO WASHINGTON. DC.

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

NILS J. LINDSTROM, OF EVANSVILLE, MINNESOTA.

BAND-CUTTER AND FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,142, dated November 5, 1895. Application filed January 28, 1895. Serial No. 536,461. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NILs J. LINDSTROM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evansville, in the county of Douglas and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Band-Cutters and Feeders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in band-cutters and feeders for thrashing-machines. I

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide a band-cutter and feeder which may readily be applied to any ordinary thrasher; second, to provide a band-cutter and feeder which will cut all the bands and thoroughly spread the grain before it reaches the cylinder. These and other objects I attain by the novel construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the front portion of a thrashing-machine with my complete band-cutter and feeder attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional side view substantiallyas on the line a a in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the lower feeder-bars. Fig. 5 is a left-hand end view of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail view of one of the band-cutter knives. Fig. 7 is an enlarged end View of the knife-cylinder, which by its knives out the bands. In this view only one knife is shown. Fig. 8 is a right-hand side view of Fig. 7 with the knife in section as on the line b b in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a detail side viewof a portion of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by reference-numerals, 10 is the cylinder of the thrashingmachine.

11 is the cavity or house, in which the cylinder works and does the thrashing proper.

12 is the cap or lid covering the cylinderhouse.

13 are the two usual side arms projecting out from the machine and between which in common thrashers is secured a table, (not shown,) upon which the grain is spread by hand or otherwise and fed toward the cylinder.

14 are braces supporting the arms 13.

Of the old and wellknown parts thus described I remove only the old-style feedingtable, and insert in its place and secure to the arms 1 3 my band-cutter and feeder, which will now be described, and which comprises a feeder-frame, consisting of the two side boards 15, having their upper edges enlarged by the frame-bars 16, and the two transverse bars 17 and 18, which have their ends secured by lag-screws 19 to the side-boards 15, and a carrier-frame, consisting of the side-boards 20 and the carrier-supporting table 21, which secures the side boards 20 together, and mechanisms mounted in said frames, as will presently be fully described. The side-boards 20 of the carrier-frame are rigidly secured with their rear ends, as at 22, to the side boards 15 of the feeder-frame, so that the one frame forms an extension of the other. The carrier-frame 2O 21 is intersected at 23 and provided with the hinges 24, so that the front portion of the carrier-frame may in transportation of the machine be folded in under the feeder-frame and secured by the hook 25, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

26 are detachable sticks for supporting the carrier-frame by their shoulders 27, upon which rest the stick-pockets 28, secured upon the side-boards 20 and housing the upper end of the sticks.

- Upon the arms 13 I secure at 29 the gooseneck-shaped keepers 30, under which are retained by the pins 31 the stud 32 of the metallic plates 33, which are secured upon the side-boards 15. By these means the feederframe is held in its proper proximity to the cylinder. Said frame is further supported by the trunnions 34E, projecting from the castings 35, secured upon the side-boards 15 at a point calculated to balance the frame. The trunnions 3 4: are capable of both rocking and sliding under the elongated keepers 36, secured upon the arms 13. By this arrangement when the operator wishes toget access to the lower part of the inclosure of the cylinder, which is often desirable, all he has to do is to remove the pins 31 and sticks 26, slide the feeder-frame forward as far as the trunnions 3i will move in the slots in the keepers 36, and then tilt the frame on the trunnions up with its rear end, as shown in dotted lines 37 in Fig. 1, or as much more up as may benecessary. In the front and rear ends of the carrier-frame 20 21 are journaled, respectively, the rollers 38 and 39, over which is stretched the endless carrier-apron 40, provided with the cross-bars i1, and supported as to its upper part by the table 21. The shaft 42 of the roller 39, which operates the apron, projects beyond the framework and is provided with a rigidly-secured sprocket-wheel 43, which, driven by the belt chain 44, drives the roller and apron.

45 is a pulley secured upon the one end of the cylinder-shaft 46 for driving the cylinder.

Upon the other end of the cylindenshaft is secured a small pulley 47, which by means of the belt 48 drives a larger pulley 49, se-; cured upon the end 50 of the shaft 51, which journaled in the bearings 52, secured upon the front corners of the feeder-frame.

Fig. 2.) Upon the shaft 51 is secured the knife-eylinder, which consists of a four-cor-. nered block or roller 53, having upon each of its four sides, secured by screws, as'54, a me tallic plate or strip 55, of which one edge overhangs the angular corner of the cylinder and is provided with teeth, as 56, (best shown in Figs. 7 and 8,) which tends to spread and separate the grain while the bands of the bundles are cut by the knives 57, which are of the shape shown in Fig. 6, having the cutting-edge 58, the toe 59, the shoulder 60, and the hole 61. These knives are secured in such alternate rows upon the four flat sides of the block 53 that the circles in which all the knives move are about equal distances apart and close enough together to allow no band of a bundle to pass uncut.

In order to facilitate the removal of the knives from the roller for sharpening or repair, each knife is secured upon the roller by a small socket, as 62, which is secured by the screws 63 upon the roller and provided with I a central slot 61, in which the knife is illserted between the lips (35, through which and through the hole 61 in the knife is inserted a spring-pin 06, by which the knife is detachably retained in the socket.

It will be observed that the socket is first secured to the roller, and the knife is then inserted with its toe 59 into the cavity 67 at oneend of the slot in the socket and with its shoulder bearing against the outer face of the socket near the opposite end of the slot, and the spring-pin is then inserted.

Turning now to a consideration of the feeding mechanism, which spreads and delivers the grain to the cylinder, 68 are the lower feeder-bars, which in the present instance are fourin number. These bars work so close by each other and have their side edges provided with the upwardly-projecting guards 69 that no grain can pass down between them, even when the bars proper vibrate above and below each other. The said guards (59 also help greatly to spread and even out the grain, as do also the fingers 70, which project out from the rear end of each of said feeder-bars. The upper side of the feeder-bars, as well as their fingers 7 O, are provided with corrugations or teeth 71, slanting toward the cylinder of the thrasher. The feeder bars are provided near their middle with arms, as 7 2, which engage a m ultiple-crank shaft 7 3, (best shown in Fig. 5,) journaled in the bracket 7 4, secured below and directly to the right-haml side-board 15 of the feeder-frame, and in the journal-box 75, secured upon the brace 79, which is secured at 77 to the left-hand sideboard 15 and with its lower end to a bracket 78, (see Figs. 1 and 9,) of which the lower end is rovided with a slot 79 in which is ad'ust- P .1

ably secured the stud 80, carrying the chainstretcher pulley 81. The bracket 7 S is further steadied by the brace 82, and has its upper end secured to the side board 15 by the screws 83, between which it is provided with the hole 8st, which serves as a journal-bearing for the shaft d2 of the roller operating the endless carrier-apron. The sprocket-wheel 85, driven by the chain t4 and rigidly secured upon the end of the multiple-crank shaft 7 3, revolves the latter. The rear ends of the feedcr-bars 68 are held in a suitable elevation in front of the cylinder by supporting links or rods 86, (see Fig. 3,) pivotally connected, with their upper ends to the feeder-bars, as at 89, and with their lower ends to the cross-frame bar 18, as at 90, so that the entire feeder-bars are free to both reciprocate and vibrate when the crank-shaft revolves, the front ends of the feeder-bars, however, having the greatest vibration.

From the upper cross frame-bar 17 are suspended by similar pivoted rods 91 the upper feeder-bars 92, which near their middle are provided with the arms 93, engaging the multiple-crank shaft 9%, which is journaled in the bearings 95, secured upon the top of the feeder-frame, and has upon one of its ends rigidly secured a sprocket-wheel, as 90, driven by the chain 44:, which is an endless belt chain driven by the small sprocket-wheel, 97, secured on the shaft 50,'and drives the wheels 43, 85, and 96, to which it is stretched or adjusted by the stretcher-pulley 81.

Each one of the upper feeder-bars 92 is made up of two parallel bars secured together a suitable distance apart by the cross-bars 98, to which is secured the arm 93, engaging the crank-shaft. The upper feeder-bars 92 are provided at their bottom side with corrugations or teeth 99, slanting toward the cylinder.

It will be observed that the corrugated S111 faces of the upper and lower feeder-bars bulge toward each other, so as to always leave suflicient opening between the front ends of the upper and lower bars for the grain to enter continually from the carrier-apron.

It will also be observed that the upper crank-shaftis of a greater stroke than the lower one, so that although the two shafts revolve at the same speed the upper feederbars have a greater motion than the lower ones, and thus, in conjunction with the latter, do not only feed the grain along, but also spread it by the unequal motion of the feeders.

In operation the cylinder when driven, as usually, drives the entire mechanism of my band-cutter and feeder by means of the pulley 47, belt 48, belt chain 44, and sprocketwheels, as described. The bundles of grain are thrown upon the endless apron 40, which carries them heads foremost in under the knife-cylinder, where the bands are cut by the knives 5'7, and the bundles partly spread by the teeth 56 of the plates 55. The feederbars then move the grain toward the cylinder, while they also thoroughly spread it by their unequal reciprocation and by the vibration of the guard-plates 69.

How my device is attached to the thrasher by the keepers 30 and 36 has already been described.

I am aware that prior to my invention bandcutters and feeders have been constructed with a knife-cylinder and with corrugated reciprocating feeder-bars, so I do not claim these elements, broadly; but

That I claim, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a band-cutter and feeder, the combination with the frame bars or arms 13, of the thrasher of the open-ended keepers 30, and the slotted keepers 36, secured thereon, a feeder frame adapted to be placed between said arms 13, and having provided upon its opposite sides the trunnions 34, adapted to rock and slide in the keepers 36, and with the pegs 32, passing in under the open-ended keepers and the pins 31, for retaining the pegs and the frame in place, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

nation with the arms 13 of the frame of the thrasher of a feeder frame, entering in between and being provided with trunnions and pegs, and supported by said arms, and having a sliding and tilting motion thereon by which the feeder frame may be moved partly away from the cylinder and tilted upward with the end nearest the thrasher so as to gain access to the lower part of the cylinder house, substantially as set forth.

3. A band-cutter and feeder having a knife cylinder consisting of an elongated four-cornered block, provided upon its four corners with toothed plates adapted to move and spread the grain and upon its flat sides with knives for cutting the bands of the bundles,

and means for driving said knife-cylinder andmeans for carrying the bundles in under the knife -cylinder, substantially as shown and described.

4. A band-cutter and feeder having mounted in a suitable frame an upper and a lower set of vibrating and reciprocating feeder-bars bulging with their corrugated surfaces the one set toward the other, the one set of feederbars having greater motion than the other, so as to spread the grain while feeding it, the lower set of bars having secured upon its sides the upwardly projecting grain-guarding and spreading side plates 69, and work close by each other, two multiple crank shafts of different strokes for operating said feederbars, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NILS J. LINDSTROM. Witnesses:

0. KRON, HERMAN HOLMSTROM. 

